Swinging drawer cabinet



De. 22, 1953 w, E, SCHAUER 2,663,608

i SWINGING DRAWER CABINET Filed May l9 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l /Zf- D JNVENTOR.

A r rae/vnf W. E. SCHAUER SWINGING DRAWER CABIET Dec. 22, 1953 INVENTOR. M/Maser E. Sav/@MEE BY @M+ MJ,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1949 A Trae/ve YS Patented Dec. 22, c1953 UNITED STATES PATENT atrasos DRAWER CABINET Wilbert E. Schauer, Milwaukee, Wis. Application May 19, 1943. Serial No 944.230

- 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a swingingdrawer cabinet.

The primary object of the present inventiQii is to provide a cabinet, in which the several drawers and the base and, cover are in marginal eontaot throughout the cabinet when the Vdrawers are Closed, thereby eliminating intervening partitions or dust stops and yet providing a fully dustproof construction, at the same time prof riding mechanically tor clearance between any one of the drawers and the surfaces above and beneath it whenever erich. drawer is. opened.. In this way, each drawer is ooinnletely free as soon as swinging movement from its closed position is initiated and sticking is substantially eliminated.

Further objects of tne invention include the provision of a novel and sturdy cabinet organi.- Zation; the provision. of simple and eiieotive means for locking the several drawers; and the. provision of a simple and effective way of pro.- viding metal bearing and earn. snriaoes and mounting these in drawers oi otherwise nonrnetallic construction.

The invention will be more clearly apparent; from the following disclosure Qi the invention with particular reference to the aeoompanyine drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a View in perspective showing a complete Cabinet embodying the inventionv one. drawer thereof being swung to open position.

Fig.` 2 is a fragmentary View or one of the drawers as it arrears in inverted; elan. Portions of the drawer and contiguous parts,v being broken away to the section indicated at 2-2 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail View through the cabinet and portions ofY two of the drawers thereof in Vertical longitudinal section.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view through the cabinet in horizontal section in a plane vshow-- ing one of the drawers in plan.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View taken in section on the line" li-.lil of; Fig. 4'.

Fig. 6 is a fragrnentaryY detail viewtak-en in section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7- is a fragmentary detail view inv perspective showing in mutually separated positions the component parts of one of the drawers including the metal bearing and cam element incorporated therein.' Y

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view in p erspective showing the upper portion of the cabi-v net with the ton removed to erroreti1eiioat-4 ing dust stop, the drawer, ilibilleili biting;

partially open.

Fig. 9 is `a fragmentary detail view in perpective showing a preferred bearing tube strucure.

Fig. 10 is a view in transverse section through one of the locking Apins to show a preferred means of mountinga spring anchorage thereon.

Fig. 1l is a View partially in side elevation and partially in axial section through the parts shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is an enlargedfragmentary detail view showing in side elevation two successive bearing sleeves mounted on the pintleV and slightly separated for the better illustration of their cam surfaces.

My improved cabinet comprises a base I0 and a top II rigidly connected bya back which may comprise corner posts f2gand I3 and an intervening panel I5 (Figs, 1 and 4). While these parts are preferably made of wood, it will be understood that the invention is by no means limited to a wooden structure. The left front corner of the top, as viewed in Fig. 1, is unsupported, but the right front corner of the top is supported from the base by a pintle shaft I6 which, as best shown in, Fig. 5, may desirably comprisev a tube, anchored by means o f screw I'I to a corner block I8 fixed in the base and similarly anchored byV means oi screw I9 to a corner block 20 fixed in the top II. In order to minimize the weight of this shaft, I may use aluminum for the tube I6. While reference has been made to` the location of the pintle I'B in the right front corner of the cabinet, it. will, of course, be understood` that: this is. merely by way of description of the particular erniaodime-nty illus,- ilated, it heilig immaterial Whether the drawers or trays pivot at tlfie4 right or th left.

The bottom drawer 2l is desirably made fast upon the base I0 asa part thereof. It is fully exposed when the drawer or drawers immediately above it are swung. out to, one side. In the embodiment herein shown to exemplify the invention, there are three swinging drawers 2.2.. 23 and 24,A drawer 23 being, shown open in Figs. 1 and 5 and drawer 24 being shown open ink Fig. 8- VSlime the drawers @Jig IIIQYalOle axially as well as angularly tljirougrhl means lpresently to be described, I provide a Heating iiller 25 which moves telesoopiloally Withiny the topl I .l and keeps closed the space between top II` and the top drawer 24.

Assuming that the drawers are made of wood, the followingl is a convenient' means or providing bearings therefor to enable then-1 to pivot on the pintle I-I.

Spanning the front righthand corner of each drawer (as viewed in Fig. 1) is a block such as that shown at 26 in the drawer 23 in Figs. l, 5 and 6 and in drawer 22 in Fig. '7. A vertical kerf or channel 21 in the interior face of this block receives a cam-ended bearing tube 28, holding such tube snugly in the corner of the drawer as clearly shown in Fig. 6. One or more transverse arms 29 are carried by the sleeve 28 intermediate the end thereof. These arms may be integral with the sleeve, this being a particularly desirable construction if the sleeve is made of sheet metal rolled into the form of a split tube from the margins of which the arms project as shown in Figs. 6 and 9. However the arms are fastened to the sleeve, each is desirably receivedA into a cross slot 30 in the wooden block, thereby constraining the sleeve 28 and the' drawer 23 to rotate as a unit upon the pintle shaft i6 which provides a bearing for such rotation.

The upper and lower ends ofeach of the several sleeves are correspondingly beveled at any suitable angle, preferably about 35 to the horizontal, as shown at 3l and 32 see Fig. 12). These cam surfaces may, -if desired, terminate near a transverse axial and diametrical plane. At the other side of such plane, each of the sleeves is nearly horizontal but, to preclude any wedging action as between the several sleeves which would increase their lateral thrust upon the pintle shaft IB, it is vpreferred that the top surface 33 of one sleeve and the complementary lower surface 330 of the next sleeve have a slight downward pitch away from the set plane as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. l2 so that, in l the closed position of the drawers, each tends to remain closed and each is substantially free of any side thrust upon the pintle.

The sleeves used in drawers 22 and 23 are identical. The sleeve used at 288 in the fixed lower drawer 2l may be shorter and only its upper end need be beveled. The sleeve 28l used in drawer 24 is shorter only because the drawer has less depth. The sleeve 282 used in the floating seal member 25 is shorter because of the lesser depth of the seal. rIhe lower end of this sleeve also functions as a cam, being provided with a beveled surface 32 just as previously described.

When the drawers are all closed, the cam surfaces of the lower ends of the respective sleeves register with the cam surfaces 3i at the tops of the sleeve therebeneath so that the sleeves lap each other slightly as shown between sleeve 28s and sleeve 28 of drawers 2| and 22 in Fig. 5 and sleeves 28| and 282 of drawer 24 and the floating seal member 25 in the same view. However, when any drawer is opened, its initial opening movement causes the cam surface 32 at the lower end of its sleeve to react with the underlying surface 3! of the sleeve therebeneath to raise the moving drawer out of Contact with the drawer be neatn it. At the same time, the cam surface 3! at the upper end of the sleeve of the moving drawer interacts with the cam surface 32 ofthe sleeve next above it to lift the superimposed sleeve and all sleeves thereabove so that the moving drawer is also freed from marginal sliding contact with anything above it. During the continued swinging movement of the open drawer either toward its full open position or toward its closed position, the swinging drawer remains wholly out of contact with any other surface of the cabinet, pivoting upon the bearing between its sleeve and the shaft or post I6 and being '4 supported by the respective cam surfaces out of contact with contiguous drawers.

The flattened or horizontal surfaces 33 at the top ends of the respective sleeves limit the extent of the axial displacement eiected by the moving drawer so that such displacement occurs only in the initial opening or final closing movement of the drawer, the swinging of the drawer throughout the rest of its range of movement being almost frictionless.

As already indicated, the drawers are nearly or substantially in contact at their marginal edges when closed, the gap between the top drawer and the top of the cabinet being substantially closed by the iioating seal member 25. The telescopic movement of the floating seal member into the hollow top il of the cabinet accommodates the displacement which occurs as the drawers are separated in the initial opening movement of any drawer.

In order to keep the oating seal member from binding in consequence of the fact that this sleeve 282 is relatively short, I desirably provide a compression spring 34 which urges such sleeve downwardly. I may also provide the floating seal member 25 with a bridge element 35 (Fig. 8) which spans diagonally the frame of the seal element 25 and has a downwardly convex cam surface at 3B engaged by the top margin of drawer 24l when the latter is opened.` In the opening movement of drawer 24, the upward camming action of the drawer on the bridge 35 will lift the rear end of the seal as the front is being lifted by the cam sleeves. The function of the bridge member is particularly useful in the closing movement of drawer 24, however, when its side margin 31 will ride beneath the bridge element as shown in Fig. 8, thereby lifting the seal 25 slightly above a horizontal position so that, in ultimately returning to horizontal, it will readily follow downwardly along the shaft or post i8 to closed position on drawer 24.

As a convenient and simple means of releaseably locking the several drawers in their closed positions, I provide the rear post I2 at the back of the cabinet with a forwardly opening vertical kerf 38 in a position to receive any one of the locking pins 39 with which the respective drawers are provided immediately beneath their bottoms, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Each of these locking pins has glued or otherwise iixed to its end a short length of corner molding 40 which serves as a handle for the opening of the drawer. An outward pull on the handle 40 will retract the locking pin 39 from the kerf 38 against the compression of spring 4I which is conned between the front of the drawer and a spring seat on the locking pin 39 which may conveniently be provided by clamping the split washer 42 around the wooden pin 3S as shown in Figs. 10 and 1l. A short dowel at 43 may be xed in handle 48 and engaged in a bore i4 for the further guidance of the handle as shown in Fig. 3. The pieces of corner molding 40 which serve as handles are aligned with other lengths of corner molding at 45, 46, 41 and 48 ldown the lefthand corners of the several drawers and adjacent portions of the cabinet.

Due to the close proximity or complete marginal contact of the top and bottom edges of the closed drawers, dust will be substantially completely excluded from the drawers when the drawers are closed. The drawers are releaseably held in closed positions by the locking pins 39 which, in the closing movement of any drawer.

are cammed toward retracted position by engagement with the surface of the rear post I2. Not until the drawer is completely shut does the pin 39 register with kerf 38 and spring into locked position. The closed position of the drawers is desirably fixed by means of a stop inserted at 50 in a vertical kerf in the back wall I3 of the cabinet at the side thereof remote from the channel 38 in which the locking pins 39 engage. This assures alignment of the drawers in vertical registration regardless of any slight working clearance which it may be desired to provide between the drawers and the back wall.

To open any drawer, the operator need only grasp the appropriate handle 40 and pull outwardly upon it. The initial outward tug upon the handle retracts the locking dowel pin and continued pull on the handle swings the drawer open, the handle being attached to a free moving corner of the swinging drawer. As soon as the drawer starts to move, it lifts itself free of the drawer beneath it and raises the drawer or drawers and iiller above itself due to the engagement of the cam surfaces at the lower and upper ends of its respective sleeve 28. Thus, despite the fact that its margins were initially in close, dustexcluding proximity to the margins of contiguous drawers, it is immediately relieved of all such contact and its continued movement proceeds entirely on metal bearing surfaces. These surfaces are so extremely close to the center upon which the drawer pivots as to oer practically no resistance to free swinging movement of the drawer. While this offers great advantages, I do not desire to limit myself to the particular ar- Y rangement disclosed, but claim as my invention:

I claim:

l. In a cabinet having a swinging drawer and members above and below said drawer with which said drawer has margins in substantial dust-excluding proximity to the closed position of the drawer, the combination with such drawer and members, of means supporting said drawer and the members for relative vertical movement, and cam means respectively carried by the drawer and said members and arranged to interact in the initial opening movement of the drawer for spacing said drawer from the respective members in the course of its opening movement.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a cabinet provided with a corner post, of a drawer unitarily comprising a sleeve journaled and reciprocable upon said post, a member above said drawer in substantial marginal contact with said drawer in the closed position thereof, said member comprising a sleeve reciprocable upon said post, the respective sleeves having coacting cam surfaces positioned for coacting engagement in the initial swinging of the drawer from closed position in a direction to displace said member upwardly free of said drawer.

3. The device of claim 2 in which at least one of said surfaces terminates at a bearing surface substantially normal to said post whereby to limit the upward displacement of said member.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pivot post, of a plurality of sleeves mounted on said post for swinging and axial movement, the respective sleeves having coacting beveled cam surfaces completely nested in one position of the respective sleeves, the swinging movement of any sleeve from said position being adapted, through said cam surfaces, to eiect its axial displacement with respect to at least one sleeve adjacent thereto, and members connected with the respective sleeves and normally biased toward full engagement with each other, the movement of any member with its associated sleeve being adapted to eiect clearance between such member and a member adjacent thereto in consequence of the interaction of the cam surfaces aforesaid.

5. In a cabinet comprising the combination with a base, a top and a back, of a front corner post supporting a front corner of the top from a front corner of the base, a set of sleeves rotatably and axially displaceable upon said post and having coacting terminal beveled cam surfaces `normally fully nested in given positions of said sleeves, drawers unitarily connected with a plurality of said sleeves for rotative and axial movement therewith, said drawers having marginal portions in substantial contact in the aforesaid positions of said sleeves, the swinging of any drawer from its said position being adapted through the interaction of cam surfaces of the respective sleeves to space said drawer from contiguous drawers.

6. 'Ihe combination set forth in claim 5 in further combination with a floating dust excluding member telescopically associated with the cabinet and provided with a sleeve having a lower terminal cam surface coacting with the upper terminal cam surface of the sleeve of the topmost drawer.

WILBERT E. SCHAUER.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 548,273 Rouse Oct. 22, 1895 661,234 Bamberger Nov. 6, 1900 711,994 Meigs Oct. 28, 1902 1,291,872 Heinze Jan. 21, 1919 2,208,310 Leonard July 16, 1940 2,286,427 Levensten June 16, 1942 2,315,862 Ledbetter et al Apr. 6, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 313,657 Italy Jan. 2, 1934 874,904 France Aug. 31, 1942 

